


Regret Message

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Musical May [9]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Music, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Volume 4 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 08:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10872984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: Drifting farther away, riding swiftly on the wavesA message containing a wish was madeHeading steadily toward the horizonAnd gradually fading awayEveryone has ways of dealing with their grief.Ozpin was no exception.





	Regret Message

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song "Regret Message", specifically the cover by Lizz Robinett.

_The sun slowly began to set beyond the horizon as they stood on the white sandy beaches of the coast of Vytal. Every year they come here. Every year they do the same routine. They had no other means of coping that wouldn't impair their judgment. After all, this was all they could do._

_There were many stories in the world of Remnant. One of the lesser known outside of the island of Vytal was the one of The Ocean's Wish. They say if you stand at the edge of the water, make a silent prayer, and throw a bottle into the sea, the wish inside will be granted. Many young couples take this ritual and use it to wish for eternal love._

_But no, not them._

_Not Ozpin._

_They make different wishes every year._

_Wishes to undo the things that they couldn't have prevented._

 

_Twenty years ago, they made a wish of forgiveness. They prayed to be forgiven for failing to stop a horrible catastrophe. The people of Mountain Glenn who survived the fall of their settlement blamed many in power for the disaster that took many loved ones from the world. They blamed a now long gone company, they blamed the council, and they blamed the school._

_And as much as they hated it, Ozpin knew a lot of it was warranted._

_Ozpin had put their trust in the wrong people. Merlot Industries, specifically Merlot himself, had destroyed any hope of expanding outside of Vale safely. From this there would be no going back._

_So that year, Ozpin had wished for those who were wronged by this tragedy to forgive them for their naivete._

_Forgiveness that they'd never be granted._

 

_Seventeen years ago, they wished for the return of their allies. This war was too big for them to fight alone. So they wished for people who would be willing to fight by their side. To stand against the darkness that had its sights set on all of Remnant._

_But such a task only tore those they cared for apart._

_Their most loyal companions, the members of Team STRQ who followed their orders with pride, began to crumble. Their bonds had been strained for a while, but what Ozpin had asked of them time and time again had finally caused them to scatter._

_Raven departed not long after her daughter was born._

_Taiyang refused to even talk to them._

_The only ones who were still by their side were Summer and Qrow, though both were slowly becoming very reluctant to leave for missions even close to Patch._

_Ozpin couldn't blame them. They had asked too much of the team._

_And so that year, Ozpin wished for them to come back together. Not as Ozpin's allies and loyal hunters, but as the family they were meant to be._

_But that wish was made null and void._

 

_Thirteen years ago, Ozpin made another wish of forgiveness, but also one to go back in time and prevent themself from sending Summer Rose on the mission that took her life. The simple soul didn't stand a chance against Her forces._

_Taiyang shut down, functioning just enough to take care of the children._

_Qrow turned to the drink, and buried himself in his work._

_Glynda, who had recently joined Ozpin's circle, remained silent for the longest time._

_And the children. Little Yang and Ruby, who idolized Summer and loved her more than the very air they breathed, were now without the mother and role model._

_And that year, when Ozpin went to throw the bottle out to sea, they collapsed to their knees in the water, the weight of their duties finally catching up to them._

_The Queen's forces were growing stronger._

_Their simple soul, their strongest warrior, was now dead._

_And her daughter was born with the very same power that had painted a target on her back._

_"I'm so sorry," Ozpin had cried. "I'm so, so sorry."_

_Their wish that year, to go back and save her._

_A wish they were never granted._

 

_Every year since then, the wish for forgiveness stopped. Replaced with a prayer to protect the young Hunters who were brave enough to enter their school. A wish to protect the Maidens who relied on them for guidance._

_Soon others were added to the list of those Ozpin wanted to protect. So many names, they often had to repeat them back to themself to make sure they didn't forget a single one._

_Glynda, their most trusted advisor. Qrow, their skilled spy and now closest friend. James, who despite his stubbornness, was the only one Ozpin trusted to stand up to them on matters._

_Amber, the fall Maiden who was attacked so ruthlessly just weeks prior._

_Yang and Ruby, who were so much like their parents._

_The young Miss Schnee who had come to their school._

_Blake Belladonna, who Ozpin could tell was carrying the weight of a battle she shouldn't have to bare._

_The lists grew longer and longer with every passing day._

_So they all were written down._

_All of them. Every single student. Every teacher. Every member of their council._

_They wished for their safety, their happiness, their future._

_A fruitless wish, but one they made regardless._

_It was all they could do._

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was the start of another school year at the Academies. Oscar knew this well. He knew that there were new obligations he was supposed to be upholding now that he was a Hunter in training. Now that he was learning of the true nature of the Grimm.

Now that he knew of the war he had reluctantly been brought in to fight.

But he just had to sneak away that morning.

Quietly, he tiptoed toward the door, grabbing the note pad and paper on the nightstand as he went. He had washed out a few of the empty whiskey shot bottles that Qrow sometimes left on the tables. With a deep, quiet breath, he slipped through the door, freezing when the soft click of it closing was a tad bit louder than he expected.

When he was sure Qrow wasn't going to follow, Oscar straightened his coat and made his way out of the inn.

 _"Are you sure you want to do this?"_ Ozpin asked quietly.

"Yeah," Oscar whispered. "It seems like a good way to kind of...get my mind together...I'm sorry I took a peek into your memories though, Ozpin."

 _"No need to apologize,"_ Oz assured him. _"After all, they are_ our _memories now."_

"Yeah...I suppose they are."

Oscar walked down the street, his form bathed in the orange light of the streetlamps. The sun wasn't supposed to rise for another hour at least, making the air have a decent chill that made Oscar glad he had warmer clothes than his old farmhand hand-me-downs.

"By the way," Oscar muttered to Ozpin, "I need to thank Mr. Branwen for buying me these new clothes. Any suggestions?"

 _"If you were older, I'd suggest purchasing a nice bourbon,_ " Ozpin chuckled. _"But I think he'd be happy with anything somewhat shiny. Perhaps a friendship bracelet with shiny beads. I think he'd like that."_

"Okay. I'll see about making one for him."

They didn't talk the rest of the way down to the shore. Both Oscar and Ozpin remained silent with both their thoughts.

By the time Oscar made it to the shore, the sun was barely poking out from beyond the horizon. Finding a log not too far down the way, he seated himself and began to write. Ozpin told him what they wanted to have written in the note, and once it was done, Oscar slipped the note into one of the empty bottles and made sure it was sealed.

 _"Thank you,"_ Ozpin muttered. _"For doing this. I appreciate it."_

"Not problem," Oscar assured. "It's funny. It...feels so natural to do this...I'm actually thinking I should have done this sooner."

**_"Should have done what sooner?"_ **

Oscar flew to his feet, dropping everything as he scrambled to grab the cane hanging from a holster on his leg.

 _"Oscar,"_ Ozpin soothed.. _"It's Qrow."_

Looking up, Oscar's hazel eyes met with a pair of red. Standing there, panting softly with a look of relief on his face, was the dusty old Qrow.

"M-Mr. Branwen," Oscar stammered. "I-I, uh-"

"Don't," Qrow sighed. "you ever leave without saying anything, got it? You nearly gave me a heart attack. At least leave a note next time, okay?"

 _"We're sorry,"_ Ozpin stuttered. _"Oscar, please tell Qrow we're sorry."_

"We're sorry," Oscar mumbled. "We had to come down to the beach for a bit. We were going to come right back."

"Apology accepted," Qrow chuckled, ruffling Oscar's hair. "So what were you doing down here anyway?"

"Um..." Oscar bit his lower lip as he went to pick up the papers and bottles, trying to think of a way to explain what it was he was doing.

Would Qrow think he was crazy? Would he be angry at him? At Ozpin?

 _"Tell him the truth,"_ Ozpin urged.

"You sure?" he asked.

 _"Yes,"_ they said. _"Tell him everything...please..."_

"Everything okay kid?" Qrow asked worriedly.

"Yes," Oscar said. "Um...you might want to sit down for this."

The two of them made themselves comfortable on the log, and Oscar handed Qrow the bottles with Ozpin's wishes in them. With a little input from the voice in his head, he recounted everything he had learned about their little ritual at the start of every school year. How every year Ozpin would pray for forgiveness, for the return of those they loved, and for the safety of those who were put in their care.

Qrow sat quietly and listened to every word.

"So that's it," Oscar concluded. "It's to help cope...to get all the pain of their chest...or _our_ chest, as is the case now..." He looked up at Qrow, whose gaze had come to rest upon the empty bottles still laying on the sand.

Was he angry with Ozpin? Disgusted? Oscar couldn't tell.

Then, to both his and Ozpin's surprise, Qrow leaned down and picked up one of the bottles, swiping the papers and pencil from Oscar. With quick, delicate lettering, Qrow wrote out a few wishes of his own and slipped it into the empty bottle.

"Write all of them down," Qrow said softly. "Every wish, prayer, regret. All of it. Once all the bottles are full, I'll fly them out and drop them into the ocean for you."

 _"He doesn't have to,"_ Ozpin whispered.

"You don't-" Oscar started.

"I've got a few I wanna get off my chest too," Qrow interjected. "And since the waves along the shore of Anima are different from Vytal, better make sure they actually get out to sea. Air mail is good for that."

With a soft smile, Oscar nodded, and the two of them set to work writing out wishes until all the bottles were filled. Qrow pulled out a handkerchief and used it as a makeshift bag, and Qrow switched forms, taking the bottles out to sea as far and as fast as his wings could carry him.

 _"He's always been there,"_ Ozpin whispered. _"He and Summer, the staff at Beacon, the other headmasters...they've all been there for me..."_

"They're good people," Oscar sighed. "They care about you..."

_"But they deserved better than me...No matter what I said, they followed...and all I did was drag them into a war they shouldn't have to fight...And now, I've dragged you along with them..."_

"Ozpin-"

_"Tell Qrow I'm sorry. My sins have taken everything from him and the others, and not one day goes by that I don't regret pulling them into this hell with me."_

And as quickly as they said it, they vanished.

"Oz?"

No response.

 _They must be sleeping,_ he thought. _Or meditating, or whatever it is they do when they're upset._

Qrow soon returned and the two of them made their way back to the inn in silence. The old professor began to talk about training schedules and the like when they got back, and Oscar simply nodded in agreement at whatever his new mentor had to say. The man seemed to have been elevated of some amount of stress that had been pent up for years.

And that smile on his face.

If Ozpin were looking right now, they'd probably ask him not to tell Qrow that apology. It would probably break all three of them.

So Oscar decided not to tell Qrow what Ozpin had said.

Their last regret filled message would go unspoken.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
